


Reflection 00: Friends Forever

by Davra



Series: Reflections of Reality [1]
Category: Christian Bible, Christian Bible (New Testament), Christian Bible (Old Testament), Original Work
Genre: Character of Faith, Childhood, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Children, Christian Character, Christianity, Cute, Cute Kids, Girl Saves Boy, Having Faith, Hide and Seek, Hope, Original Character(s), Past, Past Lives, Prayer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:35:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28849926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Davra/pseuds/Davra
Summary: What can a seven-year-old girl do for her struggling friend when she herself can't understand the ups and downs of life? She's not one to give up, though, and will try her darndest to cheer her friend up, no matter what!
Series: Reflections of Reality [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2115507
Kudos: 1





	1. Hide & Seek

**Author's Note:**

> They are just adorable; I dunno where this story came from, but here it is. Gives me a pat on the back. It's not easy trying to write an 8-year-old narration, lol. I'm not really sure how they talk; hopefully, I did alright, though.

"Lucas!" Aina snatched my hands suddenly, shaking them up and down. My arms felt like they're gonna fall off. "Let's play hide n seek!" she chirped.

"Huh? Again?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

I looked at her sparkly hazel eyes with a half-smile. She's hopeless, but her playfulness never fails to win. I nodded, and the biggest toothy grin I ever saw stretched her face and made tiny holes on her rosy cheeks. They look cute, like small buttons on both sides. Mom told me what they are once, but I didn't remember what it's called. So I'll call them buttons, I smiled to myself, and she tilted her head at me.

"Why are you smiling?"

I swallowed wrong and choked as my face burnt like the burn the sun gave me last summer. "I-It's nothing," I said, "let's go play." I hoped she would give in with an awkward smile on my face, and she did completely clueless about my uncool moment. Then she held her hands out, one on top of the other, and smiled.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lucas. You know the drill!"

I covered my mouth and laughed a little, "...okay." Then I held my hands out too, ready for battle! I won't be 'it' this time! We shouted together.

"Rock!"

"Paper!"

"Scissor!"

"Shoot?" Aina stopped, "wait, is it shoot? Big Bro said it last time, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I think," I said, "wanna do-over?"

"Y-yeah!" We formed our hands and shouted again.

"Rock!"

"Paper!"

"Scissor!"

"SHOOT!" Aina shouted the word louder than me in excitement, and I looked down. She had scissors, and I had... Rock!

"I win!"

"Aww, that's no fair," she whined but still smiled and got ready to countdown. Settling into the grey sofa among the fuzzy pillows, Aina hid her face and started counting. So I bolted like lightning through the hallways, my feet slipping across the hardwood floors cause of my socks. Until I found a good spot, it was a room with many bookshelves, a desk, and books scattered all over the place. There were papers too; anyway, I hid under the big wooden desk and pulled the chair in to make me invisible.

"Ten!"

I heard Aina shout, and I giggled a little; she's always loud when she's excited. While waiting, I could hear the soft pitter-patter of her feet running back and forth across the house and a thud when she fell. She's so clumsy sometimes... I wanted to crawl out and see if she was okay, but then I heard her running again and smiled. Aina's a tough girl; she always has been; it's one of the things I admire her for. About five minutes later, I started to wonder if I should come out; after all, she never really was very good at seeking. But before I could make up my mind, the room suddenly turned pitch black, and I heard a weird whirring sound before it disappeared. I gasped and hid my face in my hands. The dark was scary, always scary. When I stare in the blackness, my eyes always play tricks on me, showing me shadowy figures that I can never make out. I'm scared, scary; It's scary... I hiccuped past my salty tears, hoping the light would come back soon, but it didn't, and my heart raced faster. Then I felt a warm hand touch my tousled raven hair. It was soothing; I looked up, but it was still dark, and I couldn't see anything, so I hid my face against my knees. The gentle pets through my hair never stopped, though, and I was thankful for it.

When I finally worked up the courage to speak, I called out, "Aina?"

"I'm here," she said.

I could feel the smile in her voice; It was comforting. But I didn't understand, why isn't she scared?

"Aina..."

"Hm?"

"W-Why are you so calm?" I asked, "isn't it scary?"

"No," she said, almost like a whisper as she stroked my hair again.

"Why?"

"Because I have Jesus."

"W-what do you mean?"

"Jesus is the light, Lucas. He said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.' Mom always told me that when I was scared of the dark for a while. I still don't really understand it, but it always made me feel safe. When I remember it, it always makes my heart warm, and I feel at peace," she said and took my hands away from my legs and held them in hers. They were soft and warm. "Lucas, try saying it with me?" she asked.

I was still a little hesitant because of the dark, but I nodded, "O-Okay.." Because even through the dark, I could still imagine the smile on her face that she probably had now. I don't really understand what she was saying about this 'Jesus,' but if it helped her, maybe it could help me too?

"Okay, repeat after me. 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.' There now you say it."

"Umm," I thought for a moment, trying to memorize the words, "'I am the light of the world... Who-.. uh.. um." I tried, but memorizing is hard.

"Whoever follows me..." she continued.

"Will never walk in darkness?" I asked.

"Mhm, do you remember the rest?"

"I think so.."

"Okay, then let's say it together!"

Together, holding each others' hands, we said, "But we will have the light of life!" I think we added a word, but that's okay, I was starting to feel calmer, and that's all that mattered. After that, we continued to say it together in higher spirits and giggled until the lights suddenly turned back on. And my eyes watered a little when I could see Aina's rosy cheeks and their usual buttons once again. I don't ever want to forget this night we shared, ever.


	2. A Nightly Venture

"I don't want to hear it, Nick!"

I heard mother yell from the living room; she's fighting dad again. The walls tell me everything, and I can never escape from mom and dad's angry voices. I don't understand why they get so mad sometimes, but I could hear them yelling about stuff like 'jobs' and 'money.' I don't know what 'jobs' is, but I remember dad saying money is used to get food and presents.

"Clara, employment has not been the same since foreigners started coming to the country. The only option there is right now is to join the army-"

"No!" she said, "haven't you heard what happens to the men who join? They break them psychologically! And some come back from the battlefield either dead or missing a limb! I know I'm being selfish, but I-I don't want anything like that to happen to you..."

I flinched at mom's raised voice and hid under the soft blankets on my bed, hoping somehow they would quiet down the voices. It was no help, though, so I just shut my eyes, wondering if it was too late to see Aina and Gabriel tonight. I crawl out my window a lot to see them; maybe it'll be okay. Gabriel always brings me back home and tucks me in before sunrise so that mom and dad won't be worried. He's a nice big brother, just like my big brother Michael, but Michael's been busy a lot lately... I heard dad start talking to mom again calmly, but he didn't seem all that calm...

"I know," Nick said, "but look at us, Clara! We're losing everything; the house is in foreclosure we can hardly afford food to feed us all. I thank God Michael has a job to take care of himself, but he's still young and shouldn't have to worry about working. He should be focusing on his studies right now!"

So the 'job' thing is why Michael was so busy, I thought. I still didn't understand it, but it must be important if mom and dad are worried about it so much they fight. My brain started to hurt a little from everything, so I got out of bed and went to my window. It was a big white rectangle standing up, but it looks like two squares when I look at the glass. The locks sat in the middle on both sides; mom and dad always turn clockwise or counterclockwise to lock and unlock them. I figured out how to do it too a while ago when I started to get brave enough to walk outside in the dark. Thanks to Aina, I'm not so scared anymore.

I turned the locks to the side with my small fingers. They're always hard to move cause they're stiff, but I did it! And I took the grabby part at the bottom of the window and pulled it up with all my might! "Ungh." I'm not as strong as Michael or Gabriel, but I will be one day! I said to myself until the window finally budged and lifted up. It almost made me fall, but I didn't. When I looked out, it was really dark, and a chilly breeze tickled my skin. The wind howled a little, almost like a scary monster... But I wasn't scared, because I remember what Aina told me! Well, maybe I was a little scared, so I stood there for a little bit. I really want to see Aina and Gabriel, though.

I climbed over my windowsill carefully so I wouldn't stumble out and fall on my butt like last time. Once my socks were damp from the dewy grass, I remembered to close the window. Gabriel says that's just an invitation for people who want to steal stuff. I didn't really care if my toys and stuff got stolen, but I know mom and dad would probably be worried, so I still close it. After that, I ran as fast as I could three houses down then across the street. But before I made it, something jumped out from the bushes and I tripped over my foot with a yelp. Scraping my knees and elbow against the concrete driveway, I wanted to cry cause it hurt, and it burned. But I was more afraid of what jumped from the bushes, I looked to see what it was and it was a... cat? It looked just as scared as me before it hissed and ran away. I'm glad it was just a cat...

When I tried to get up, my eyes watered when I felt my knees throb, but I kept going cause the dark was starting to get scary. The tree limbs started to look like claws ready to slice me to pieces, and I could hear deep groaning come from somewhere. So I ran to Aina's bedroom window as quickly as I could and knocked lightly but rapidly. I waited for a little bit as my heart raced and my scrapes throbbed, but finally, I saw two shadows moving closer behind the curtains before Gabriel opened them with a surprised look on his face. The russet-haired teen quickly unlocked the window and lifted it effortlessly.

"Lucas?" he said, "what happened? Your jeans are torn and-" Gabriel looked down at my knees, "Your bleeding!"

I looked down too; I really was bleeding, the red liquid stained my jeans a little where they tore. Then I looked back up at Gabriel and said, "I fell, pretty bad, I think..."

"You think?" he repeated, "more like you did fall pretty bad, come here." Gabriel waved me over, and I got as close as I could and held my arms up to him. And he picked me up under my arms and set me down in the room with him and Aina.

"Lucas!"

Aina called my name excitedly before she covered her mouth, partly because I was hurt and the other cause my nightly getaways were supposed to be a secret, according to Gabriel. Said it would worry our mom's and dad's too much if they find out. I didn't understand, but I still agreed to keep it secret. I don't like making mom and dad worry...

"Gabriel, Gabriel. Are we having another sleepover?" Aina bounced up and down on her feet like she had too much sugar. Maybe she did? I wondered.

Gabriel snorted and patted her head, "Yes, yes, we're having another sleepover," he said, "but first we have to take care of Lucas; he got hurt. Do you remember where the first aid kit is?"

"Mhm."

"Can you go get it for me?"

"Yes!" she said and raced out of the room as fast as she could.

"Be careful! and don't-"

But it was too late as we both heard a loud thump; she definitely fell. And we laughed as soon as we heard her running again. While waiting, Gabriel asked me what happened, and I told him about mom and dad fighting about jobs, money, and something about the army. Then I told him about the cat that scared me and how I fell. He looked troubled, so I asked him what's wrong.

"It's nothing, Lucas," he said with a smile and pat my head, "don't worry about it."

I didn't believe it was nothing, but I nodded anyway. I've never seen him look so worried about anything, but whatever it was had to be something serious that much I know for sure.

Aina burst through the door holding the first aid kit up victoriously, " *huff* *huff*, I got it!"

"Great job Aina!" Gabriel clapped his hands with a wide smile; it made me smile too.

But I wasn't smiling for long when Gabriel cleaned my scraped up knees with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball.

"Ow..." 

"I'm sorry, Lucas," he said, "just a little more, I'm almost done." After my knees and elbow were cleaned, he stuck a few bandaids over them. "There, you should be alright now. I'm actually quite surprised you didn't cry. Aina always bawls like a baby when I take care of her scrapes."

He started laughing, and Aina said, "Hey!" with a frown on her face and hands on her hips. Her reaction was so funny that I couldn't help laughing too. It was probably contagious because a second later, she was doing it too.

Then we all sat together on Aina's bed, playing cards and some other board games Gabriel brought in for a while. Since we couldn't play hide n seek or tag cause our sleepovers are just for us! Just the three of us, though it used to be four... Michael helped me sneak out the first time, and that's how we started our sleepovers. But he has that job mom and dad talked about, and he can't come anymore. That's okay, though; maybe one day he can again. And that was the last thing I thought before I dozed off in the middle of our game of go fish. I must have slept for a while because I found myself clutching Aina's hand when I felt the bed sink under Gabriel's weight.

"Lucas," he said quietly, "we gotta get you back. The sun's coming up."

Still stuck in my half-sleep, I nodded but was reluctant to let Aina's hand go cause it was so warm and comforting. I let go, though, and held my arms out to Gabriel.

"You're still not awake?" he chuckled but still wrapped my arms around his neck and picked me up.

My feet dangled on both sides of him while I rested my head on his shoulder. I almost fell asleep again, but it was a struggle when he climbed through the window, and I was shaken up a bit. He kept me steady the best he could, though, until his feet hit the grass. And after that, the walk back was silent as he was deep in thought. In the end, though, he said something to me I couldn't comprehend through my grogginess.

"You know, I had a friend once. His name was Hunter; he was an army brat, but he was happy before moving overseas. I pray you're happy too before that time comes, and you continue to be happy even when we three aren't together anymore. No, us four," he said before he whispered quietly to himself, "Michael, please take care of Lucas your his only hope if your parents go through with this..."

When he reached my window, he set me down to open it, then picked me back up and climbed through. It was easier since my window was lower to the ground. Then he laid me down in my soft bed and tucked me into its thick grey blankets, and pat my head. I opened my eyes just a little and reached for his hand; he gave it.

"Thank you for always being nice to me, Gabriel. Aina too." I smiled, and Gabriel squeezed my hand with a troubled look on his face again. Why was he upset again?

"Thank you too, Lucas, and try your best to stay safe."

I didn't understand what he meant, but I nodded, and he gave me a sad smile before he left. Then I went to sleep again, peacefully, before everything would start to change...


End file.
